College of Arms

College of Arms, also called Heralds’ College, corporation of the royal heralds of England and Wales. After the Court of Lord Lyon (the heraldic corporation of Scotland), it is the oldest active heraldic institution in Europe. The college investigates, records, and advises on the use of coats of arms (armorial bearings), royal grants, and pedigrees. It also undertakes the planning of state ceremonies such as coronations and the first sitting of Parliament. Some other nations of the Commonwealth (e.g., Australia and New Zealand) consult with the College of Arms on heraldic matters such as the design of government flags. It is headquartered on Queen Victoria Street, City of London.

College of ArmsThe College of Arms headquarters, City of London.Adrian Pingstone

coat of armsA look at an illustrated manuscript by Ralph Brooke, a herald in the English College of Arms in the 1590s. During that period the college granted coats of arms to a prominent fishmonger and to William Shakespeare, but Brooke considered both applicants unworthy.Courtesy of Folger Shakespeare Library; CC-BY-SA 4.0

The college was chartered by King Richard III in 1484, but the following year it was disbanded by Henry VII. In 1555 it was reestablished by Mary I and housed in the 15th-century Derby Place, which burned in the Great Fire of London (1666). Designed by the master bricklayer Maurice Emmett, the present building was erected on the Derby Place site in 1671–78.

The director of the College of Arms is the duke of Norfolk, who holds the title earl marshal. Reporting to him are several heralds (also called officers of arms), who are appointed by the British sovereign. They include three kings of arms, or senior heralds (Garter, Norroy and Ulster, and Clarenceux); six heralds (Windsor, Richmond, York, Lancaster, Chester, and Somerset); four pursuivants, or junior heralds (Rouge Dragon, Rouge Croix, Bluemantle, and Portcullis); and various other staff. The College of Arms Foundation Inc. was established in New York City in 1983 to provide heraldic and genealogical information to American citizens. For in-depth treatment of heraldic traditions, see the article heraldry.